In this month’s Coaches’ Blog, I tackle that all too familiar feeling of wanting to skip your workout.
You’ve been there, right? You had a long day at work. You stayed up late watching your favorite Netflix show. Your body is super sore from yesterday’s workout.
Regardless if your exercise routine consists of lifting weights at a gym, spending time outdoors or running on a treadmill in your basement, there are probably underlying reasons why you feel like this. Keep reading to learn why you may be feeling this way and what you can start doing today to overcome it!
OVER TRAINING – OR -SIMPLY UNDER RECOVERY?
As you may have heard me say before, I do not believe in overtraining but rather, under recovery.
[By overtraining, I mean exercising at such intensity your body isn’t able to recover or perform at its optimal best].
That is a bold statement to make so let me expand upon my response:
I believe the word ‘overtraining’ is often a trigger word used as an excuse to skip a day or two at the gym or as a scapegoat for an injury.Don’t get me wrong, there are reasons to take time off from training but we need to recognize the true reason behind why we chose to do so. There are appropriate ways to deload (use lighter weights, less reps), recover (give your tight muscles some TLC) and take a day or two off.
However, doing any of these things is not an excuse to just sit mindlessly on our asses.If we want to sit on our asses, we need to make sure we are mindful of what we are feeding our bodies and consciously making the effort to stay hydrated. #nutrition #water #mindfullysitonyourassWhen it comes to mindful recovery, maybe your body needs ….
.….A little extra deposit in the sleep bank (Zzzzz)
…..Stretching + movement with minimal impact
…..A spa day (oh, hell yas!)
In majority of instances, your inherent desire to take time off from the gym and skip a workout is not the result of overtraining but rather, a summation of lost sleep, taxing stress levels, poor food choices, and/or lack of water intake.In these instances, we must all listen to our bodies and become more in tune with its’ daily needs.
It is not finding balance but rather, creating it.
Your health + fitness journey is not solely the journey in the gym or kitchen but summation of being present in all aspects of living. So let’s break it down – outside of the gym and kitchen- a bit further by giving you some numbers to strive for + guidelines to consider:
#1. What is adequate hydration?
The recommended daily intake is half your body weight in ounces! But did you know that as you sweat, at as little as 2% body weight lost, your performance can be diminished significantly?! And at merely 5% dehydration your performance can be decreased by up to 30%?! …Drink up buttercup!
#2. What about those Z’s we’re supposed to be catching?
Most of us may have heard the magical number of 7-9 hrs of sleep per night but what toll is it taking on the body when we don’t meet the mark?Besides difficulty focusing and lack of energy, we could be throwing our hormones out of whack! Skewed leptin and ghrelin levels can affect our appetite, hunger and fullness levels thus, leading to poor food choices or overeating.
And to pile on top of that, sleep deprivation can lead to insulin release which can increase fat storage and risk for type II diabetes. Hmmmmm…maybe there is a bit more behind that cliché remark of getting your beauty sleep?
#3. What serves as a stress reliever for you?
Besides medicine ball stomps, how do you alleviate stress?This might be where the spa day comes in! Or perhaps, a good read? Quality time blowing off steam with friends?Whatever fits your fancy, your job is to identify healthy outlets that feed the mind, body and spirit! Cortisol surplus is not your friend and will have a negative impact on the goals you’re striving to achieve with consistent exercise and nutrition.
Smoochies,
Coach Kortlyn
